MOORE Contemporary Theatrics: Beneath The Sun

Beneath The Sun is a contemporary dance-theater work that reimagines Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun through physical poetry, cultural memory, and human connection. This project was born from a desire to explore the emotional weight and generational truths embedded in Hansberry’s characters—not through spoken word, but through the body as the storyteller. The piece is performed by nine dynamic dancers and uses movement as a vessel for dreams deferred, familial struggle, systemic inequity, and Black resilience.

With no monologues or spoken scenes, the choreography itself becomes a living script. Each dancer embodies a character’s internal journey, interacting with minimal set pieces—a carpeted center, a mobile armchair, and a rolling garment rack—to shape and shift the space like the fragile dreams the family holds onto. The work moves through emotional tones of joy, urgency, tension, and hope, honoring Hansberry’s source material while amplifying its impact through contemporary performance.

This performance serves as the debut production for MOORE Contemporary Theatrics, a Black-led, DC-based pick-up dance company founded by Daniel L. Moore. The work exemplifies the company’s mission to bridge theater and dance while reclaiming Black narratives on stage. Beneath The Sun is not just a performance—it’s a movement toward deeper understanding, cultural reclamation, and collective healing.

Runtime: 1 hour

Ages: All Ages

Daniel L. Moore is a multifaceted artist, choreographer, and the visionary founder of MOORE Contemporary Theatrics, a dynamic pick-up dance company based in Washington, DC. With a BFA in Ballet Performance from The University of the Arts, Moore’s professional dance career spans renowned companies including Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Collage Dance Collective, and Armitage Gone! Dance. He has also served as a choreographer assistant and featured performer with Royal Caribbean International for nearly a decade, bringing large-scale movement to international audiences.

MOORE Contemporary Theatrics was born out of a desire to fuse storytelling, human connection, and movement in a way that honors cultural history while pushing forward the future of performance. As a Black-led dance company, MOORE reimagines classic and contemporary Black playwrights through the lens of contemporary dance and physical poetry. Each project is driven by the belief that stories are not just told—they are embodied.

Moore’s vision is deeply rooted in blending theatrical nuance with choreographic depth. His work brings forth themes of identity, legacy, and liberation, inviting audiences to feel as much as they observe. Through his leadership, MOORE fosters an environment where dancers are not just performers, but collaborators and storytellers in their own right.

As a teaching artist, Moore has mentored emerging dancers through institutions like The Earl Mosley Institute of the Arts at Hofstra University and The Dance Institute of Washington. His work reflects a passion for nurturing the next generation of performers, instilling in them the importance of craft, clarity, and purpose.

MOORE Contemporary Theatrics operates project-by-project, adapting its structure to support artistic innovation and community engagement. The company’s debut work, Beneath The Sun, reinterprets Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun through movement, illuminating generational dreams, systemic limitations, and the ever-persistent hope of Black families in America.

Through bold choreography, poignant themes, and unapologetic cultural representation, Daniel L. Moore and MOORE Contemporary Theatrics are creating a space where dance becomes more than performance—it becomes protest, preservation, and possibility.